Shakur

So much can be said about the video for Drake's smash hit, Best I Ever Had, but they say a picture is worth 1000 words. But if the pictures aren't enough, we got a chance to catch up with one of the feature models from the video, Shakur, while she was traveling out to the west coast. While you may know the body from the video, you may have heard her single on your local radio station “Nadda Ho” featuring Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas. We got the chance to catch up with her about acting, rapping and her romantic rumors with an upstart emcee.

HipHopWired: Where are you from?

Shakur: I'm from Los Angeles, California.

HipHopWired: So born and raised there or just born?

Shakur: Well born and raised but I spend a lot of time on the East Coast and the South because I am recording out there a lot.

HipHopWired: What's your ethnic background?

Shakur: Both parents are Egyptian.

HipHopWired: Cool, I was thinking you have a unique look. It's like a European face with an African shape.

Shakur: Yeah Egyptians come in all types; all Africans just depends on the ancestry. But people always think I'm Hispanic and I'm fluent in Spanish so it trips them up sometime.

HipHopWired: How did you get your start modeling?

Shakur: I started modeling when I was about 13; I did commercial and print work around then so I was real young. My mother made me stop because she wanted me to be more focused on academics. So she pulled me out of entertainment to make sure the number one focus was school. Then when I was of age to do stuff on my own legally I got back into it. Music pulled me back before I could get back into modeling, so I focused on that and put modeling and acting to the back.

HipHopWired: So you say the music pulled you back into entertainment, how'd that come about?

Shakur: Well I always had been writing and had a passion for music, I think I get that from my father but I kinda got pulled into it with people saying I have a talent for it and I just started recording and putting things I'd written on wax. It grew from being an interest to a passion to something I wanted to pursue with full force.

HipHopWired: How long have you been recording?

Shakur: About 6 years, about 5 or six years I've been recording.

HipHopWired: I read another interview and it said that Kanye West personally called you to be in the Drake video, did you cultivate those relationships via the music or through modeling first?

Shakur: Yea definitely the music first, I developed my relationships through the music with people knowing me as an artist, and people just happened to know I'm a pop artist with a good look for modeling. So people often misconstrue what comes first, but it is the music, but if I can gain exposure through the modeling and be able to use it as a means to get my music out there then I'm all for it.

So when Kanye hit me up about it, he had already known me from around the industry for the past couple years.  He knows that I'm studying theatrics with a coach, so he was like, “I know you're doing your acting thing and this is a video we're about to shoot it would be a good look for you, not on some video girl stuff.” Not that I am against ‘video girl stuff', its just that as an artist it confuses people like what are you trying to be. He was like there was some acting to it, so when I got to set and saw the treatment and I was like oh okay, this is cool, not your typical stuff.

HipHopWired: Also we caught wind that you may be the best Drake's ever had; any truth to the rumors that you and him are an item?

Shakur: The rumors saying that Drake and I have a romantic relationship and it's just not true. I met Drake on the set for “Best I Ever Had”. I only was involved because of Kanye's request as a friend. I've never been romantically involved with either one.

HipHopWired: So no fireworks at all?

Shakur: He is a very talented and very sweet guy, but the relationship has never been like that. I respect his talent but there is no romantic relationship between us. I understand this is all a part of the game as far as rumors go, but if you even look at the pictures posted on the gossip sites you'll see they are all from the set of the video.

HipHopWired: Okay, good to clear that up. How did you feel about the outcome of the video? There were a couple dominant opinions about the video when it was all said and done. Personally I liked it, I thought it was clever, but how did you feel about the video for “Best I Ever Had?”

Shakur: Honestly, I think they did what they set out to do. I think in this industry people are too serious and they are expecting a certain thing from rap videos, I think Ye and Drake wanted to come from a comedic standpoint, they wanted to make people laugh and that's what people did. Drake was telling me that he takes himself seriously so he didn't want to be so serious on this video because often correlate him to being this heartthrob, or some ladies man and I don't think he wanted to come off that way on this video. It was one of the most highly anticipated videos of the year, so when it came out I liked it, it was sexy, funny, had satire in it and had acting with a plot so I don't think he took himself too serious on it.

HipHopWired: Yeah it's not like “Successful.”

Shakur: Exactly you see the video for that, and Forever. This was a lighthearted one.

HipHopWired: Okay back to you. I googled you and had the most success putting in ‘Model Shakur', but it seems like music is number one, is it just Shakur?

Shakur: Yeah just Shakur, of course if you Google Shakur you're going to get a lot of Tupac stuff, so if you put in Shakur and Will.i.am or “Nadda Hoe” which is the name of my single spinning on Hot 97 in New York and you'll find stuff that goes with my music.

HipHopWired: How did that come about working with Will.i.am?

Shakur: Well I've known Will a long time, through music and I always wanted to work with him cause we connect on the same wavelength musically. He actually brought the track to me with the hook already on it and had an idea of how I wanted to come out as an artist, and had vision for me as well. He brought it to me and was like I think this is a good look for you and I heard it and was all over it and it all came together. He's like mentor if anything.

HipHopWired: And are you signed with a label yet?

Shakur: No I've taken meetings with a couple major labels that are interested but I'm just waiting to see what is the best situation for me.

HipHopWired: So talk to me about your ambitions in acting, where do you see yourself fitting in?

Shakur: I'm definitely trying to go mainstream. As a youth I was always in theater, and with the auditioning from modeling I was in acting classes, I always had a knack for acting, but you're only as good as the effort you put in so I study different techniques like Stanislavski and Chekhov and really studied their techniques to get better. I've taken classes to really build on my skill and I'm always studying to have myself be as good as I can be.

HipHopWired: That's impressive, I think you are the first Bangin' Candy to mention Chekhov when talking about acting ambitions.

Shakur: Yeah you have to know what you need to do to do what you want. A lot of people just place it on a whim like, ‘Hey I want to act', but what it's really about it is do you want to be famous or do you want to do it because of a passion for it?

HipHopWired: So I must ask, are you single?

Shakur: I am DEFINITELY single, as single as they get.

HipHopWired: Wow, why are you single?

Shakur: Right now I'm just so zoned in my career, and I don't want to stop until I get what I deserve but guys get so intimidated. I like successful men, you know men with power like any woman would want, it doesn't matter what you do, just be the best at it. The nature of what I do can be troublesome with guys cause they end up questioning like “Why are you with me, when you can be with any of them.”

HipHopWired: The insecurity.

Shakur: Yeah and I'm just me, it doesn't how much you reassure somebody that its just them, they always have that insecurity, cause I'm around these prominent people in the industry. And time is just difficult in general because I'm always on the road and if they're always on the road, distance is a factor. I'm just looking for a man that's understanding and as of right now I just can't find it. I have no luck with this. But I'm not looking, just taking it as it comes.

HipHopWired: I know you said you like powerful, successful men. Do you have any physical preference? Do you like a tall guy?

Shakur: He definitely has to be taller than me. But I'm 5'2 so that's easy. I mean I love about 5'10 or 5'11 just approaching the 6-foot mark. I like a man to have a good physique; he doesn't have to be all cut up with the 8-pack just take care of himself. Good hygiene who can work in different environments, you know a corporate thug; a man who is respected in the streets but can command respect in a business setting. Just someone that is equally yoked as myself, being from LA but academic being able to identify with the streets and the corporate. Physicality fades, so the mental is huge. What can I learn from you? A man should be able to teach you something and be an attribute to your relationship and not a liability. If I can't learn from you and you don't make me want to be a better woman then there is no point.

HipHopWired: How can the fans reach you? Do you have a twitter or a myspace?

Shakur: I don't have twitter but I have a myspace, its myspace.com/divacapone.

Check out some of Shakur's music below:

Miss Shakur feat. will.i.am - "Nadda Hoe"
Shakur-Nadda_Hoe__Feat_will_i_am_-2dope